39o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
.Tune 8 
“See that clover there?” said Mr. Bancroft. “It 
seems much lighter than the rest, though it is nearly 
as high. The trouble is that it does not stool or 
spread out. We always notice that about our late 
sowings. Unless it is sowed early enough to get a 
good growth in the fall, it will not stool out properly 
in the spring. When you consider how fast it must 
grow in the spring, you will see how necessary it is 
to have a heavy root growth to live over winter. It 
should be sown as early as possible. If a good growth 
can be started, my belief is that a light fall pasturage 
will help it through the winter, as this will force a 
larger root growth, and encourage the plant to 
spread out.” 
When sowing in the corn, Mr. Bancroft finds it a 
good plan to use a horse. A man on horseback with 
a good broadcast seeder, can cover five rows as fast 
as the horse can walk. In using the seeder on foot 
in the standing corn, you are bound to get too much 
seed in the two nearest rows. This could be easily 
noticed in fields seeded in this way. One of the 
surest ways to get a good catch, is to sow the seed 
in the chaff or hull. Of course this requires more 
bulk, but the seed is protected by the chaff, and in 
some conditions will be surer to start. 
There are evidently many sub-varieties of Crimson 
clover—some far stronger than others. The success 
of this plant has proved a strong temptation to some 
seedsmen to bring in imported and mixed seed for 
sale. Prof. Beckwith, of the Delaware Station, 
showed me samples of such seed which he was test¬ 
ing. It is a badly mixed lot, and will surely disap¬ 
point those who buy it. The surest way for a farmer 
is to buy direct of the grower, and then use his home¬ 
grown seed for increasing his area. 
Mr. Bancroft cannot say too much about the wisdom 
of using plenty of potash and phosphoric acid with 
the clover. It will pay the best of returns to feed 
the clover. Many farmers, he says, use lime heavily. 
A moderate dressing of muriate of potash and dis¬ 
solved rock will cost no more than the lime, while 
the resulting crop of clover will benefit the soil far 
more than the lime would. 
Next week we shall talk about winter oats—a new 
thing on this farm. 
" COST OF AN ACRE OF POTATOES." 
VARIOUS ESTIMATES FROM DIFFERENT LOCALITIES. 
How They Do It 7,000 Feet in the Air. 
I have been somewhat interested in the way the 
Eastern farmer raises and harvests potatoes ; our way 
being so different, 1 thought some would like to know 
how we do it. I have two 10-inch plows—one riding 
and one walking. I plant in the furrow behind the 
riding plow, which has an attachment that throws a 
part of the loose soil back into the furrow, so that 
the seed have a soft bed ; 1 cover with a walking 
plow. This makes the rows 32 inches apart. Two to 
cut the seed (I do not like the machine cutters), two 
to drop, and two to plow, will plant between four and 
five acres a day. I harrow twice, cultivate twice, and 
go through with the hoes once. That is all until dig¬ 
ging time I use no manure or fertilizer, and, unlike 
the greater part of Colorado, we cannot irrigate, but 
depend wholly upon the rains. The elevation here 
is nearly 7,000 feet. The average yield per acre is be¬ 
tween 4,000 and 5,000 pounds, or 70 to 90 bushels of mar¬ 
ketable potatoes. I have this year, 110 acres, besides 
100 acres of other crops. The land is worth between 
$5 and $10 per acre. 1 use the four-horse diggers ; the 
cost of harvesting and loading on cars three miles 
distant, is from 10 to 12 cents a two-bushel sack, in¬ 
cluding sacks and everything. A. o. c. 
Elbert, Col. 
An Old Vermont Man Out West. 
I would like to tell G. S. Butler, page 342, that he 
can reduce expense in several ways. To begin with, 
his plowing costs him from 50 cents to $1 too much, 
unless his land is full of stones; if it is, he would bet¬ 
ter quit altogether. Next, his seed costs him $6 too 
much, for he certainly can get seed for $1 per bushel 
and four bushels are a plenty to plant an acre, and 
more than many use. Then he is paying twice too 
much for planting ; he thus can save another dollar at 
least. If his ground is in good, fine condition, it can 
be marked in squares 3 % feet each way, and planted 
with an Acme planter for $1 per acre. Many here 
plant with a spade, and a good strong man will plant 
from two to three acres per day. Again, his charge 
for fertilizers is altogether too high. In this State, 
very little fertilizer has evei- been used ; but for a 
year or two, some experiments have been made. I 
have used fertilizers in Vermont, and used as high as 
a ton per acre, worth about $30 ; that is as high ferti¬ 
lization as is profitable. 
I am about to plant 10 acres of potatoes in June, 
and shall keep a record of the time spent upon the 
field and report the cost. No fertilizers will be used, 
but a crop of winter rye will be plowed under. I 
think that the entire cost, up to the time of digging, 
not counting the use of the land, or the crop of rye 
plowed under, will be less than $10 per acre. Many 
farmers in the East can be benefited by becoming 
acquainted with Western methods, and adopting those 
that can be adapted to their locality. The same may 
be said of the Western farmer, for he may get ideas 
from the East which will be of great benefit to him. 
For that reason, The R. N.-Y. is much better than 
any local farm paper for the farmers of our whole 
country. L. H. read. 
Wisconsin. 
Subsoiling Helpful in Kansas. 
I have been greatly interested in the discussion 
about the cost of an acre of potatoes. G. S. Butler is 
away off in his charges—harrowing $3. and twice with 
weeder 50 cents. Here we cut 1(5 feet wide with a 
harrow, and four times with a harrow is worth no 
more than twice with a weeder. Here is my estimate : 
Use of land.$1.00 
Plowing. 1-00 
Subsoiling 24 inches. 1.00 
Four h arrowin gs. 50 
Seed.10.00 
Planting. 2.00 
Cultivating. 3.00 
Hand hoeing twice. 2.00 
Digging. 5.00 
Total.$25.50 
If necessary, 1,000 pounds of blood and bone or fine 
raw bone can be applied for $10. A yield of 270 
bushels at 40 cents is worth $108. 
My land is dark chocolate color, of alluvial mold 
tvith a depth of 20 inches, and is underlaid by a water¬ 
tight yellow clay, called here hardpan or gumbo. 
Subsoiling in the fall induces absorption of moisture, 
at a heavy rate, from the air, whenever the thermom¬ 
eter is between 32 and 45 degrees. The frost also 
penetrates to more than twice the depth that it does 
on unsubsoiled land, owing to the more moisture and 
looser texture of the soil. This keeps the soil ex¬ 
tremely cool during the hot weather, which is a great 
help to the potatoes. Subsoiling produces the same 
effect as heavy manuring, and by close planting— 
using from 16 to 40 oushelsof seed per acre—an enorm¬ 
ous yield can be had. The French method of close 
planting, will bear some study and experimenting. I 
have just put 10 bushels of seed on one-quarter acre 
as a trial. A potato originated here and called the 
Early Kansas, is the best cropper. It often has new 
potatoes before the top comes through the ground ; 
sets one tuber, then another, then another. It never 
sets a knob or prong, but always puts the growth into 
the little potatoes, and the vines die only when hot 
weather kills them. c. J. N. 
Morantown, Kan. 
Actual Figures from Illinois. 
In Illinois, we can grow an acre of potatoes for $25 
on an average. Of course, the price of seed cuts quite 
a figure—also the season. Here is the cost, up to 
date, upon an 18%-acre field; variety Rural New- 
Yorker No. 2. The seed was purchased at Victor, N. 
Y., in the fall of 1894 : 
Cost of seed, 213 bushels, at 62 cents.$132.06 
Plowing clover sod, fall of 1894, man and team seven days.. 21.00 
Pulverizing with disc, spring of 1895. 5.00 
Harrowing. 2.50 
Replcwing with four-horse gang plow. 16.00 
Pulverizing with disc, and harrowing. 9.00 
Cutting seed and planting, with Aspinwall cutter and 
planter, three men 354 days, one team. 19.25 
Harrowing after planting. 5.00 
Total.$209.81 
Average cost per acre, $11.34 
With an average yield, and judging by past experi¬ 
ence, the rest of the cost of production would be (in¬ 
cluding hauling to market), $227.50, or a total of 
$437.31 ; an average per acre of $23.64. We have not 
been bothered to any extent with the Colorado beetle 
for three years past. Should it put in an appearance 
this season, that would necessitate a little extra ex¬ 
pense. This is our first season with the Aspinwall 
potato cutter; it is a great labor-saving tool, but it 
would be a great advantage if the knives were adjust¬ 
able, especially In cutting such large potatoes as the 
Rural New-Yorker No. 2. We also find that large 
seed, especially if cut with the cutter, does not work 
so well planted with the planter, there being a much 
larger number of missing hills. 
In cultivating the crop, a Tower sulky cultivator is 
used ; this has a set of four knives instead of shovels, 
two upon each side of the row; they are set diagonally, 
and can be adjusted to shallow or deep cultivation. 
It can also be set to cultivate deeply in the center of 
the row and shallow near the row ; the whole sur¬ 
face of the soil is cut and pulverized. It also has a 
set of levelers following the knives or hoes, which 
level and crush lumps at the same operation. One acre 
of R. N.-Y. No. 2 was covered with 80 loads of coarse 
horse manure, after planting ; these have not yet ap¬ 
peared above the manure, and, consequently, have not 
been frosted as the others have ; they will be safe 
until the first of June. 
The World’s Fair are being tested this year, as also, 
of course, are the two Carmans. dwight herrick, 
MR. GANDY STRAWBERRY MARRIED MISS 
CRESCENT. 
“ THE MARRIAGE WAS A FAILURE.” 
A few years ago. I read a glowing account of how 
the Gandy, set with the Crescent would not only pro¬ 
long the season of the latter, but would cause the 
berries of the later pickings to grow as large as, or 
larger than, those of the first pickings. Alas ! yes, 
how true it proved to be ; but why did the writer not 
state the size of his first pickings? I was foolish 
enough to test the plan to the sorrow of my heart, and 
the subsequent flabbiness of my pocketbook. There¬ 
tofore, my greatest objection to the Crescent had been 
that the berries had a great tendency to decrease in 
size after a very few pickings ; and as I had a fine 
stock of Gandy plants, I set one-fourth of an acre 
with the Gandy-Crescent combination, except an end 
of one row where enough Gandys were left out 
to accommodate 50 plants of the Jessie. The plot was 
a long, narrow one, and I set one row of Gandys to 
three rows of Crescents. They made a fine growth and 
were favored with the most thorough culture and 
care during the entire season. The next spring, they 
were assisted through their mulch, and made a fine 
growth. The Crescents began to bloom profusely ; 
the rows were a beautiful sight to behold. They had 
been in bloom several days before the Gandys began 
to open up a few blossoms, here and there, in a very 
leisurely and unconcerned manner. 
What was the result ? Just at the time my Cres¬ 
cents should have been yielding large pickings of the 
first-early and finest, most profitable berries, they 
were merely producing a few little, knotty, worth¬ 
less “buttons” that were not fit to give away. Here 
was an object lesson that I shall never forget. At the 
end of the patch, in the vicinity of that part of a row 
containing the Jessies, the Crescents had, from the 
very first berry to ripen, been large, perfect and beau¬ 
tiful. By the time the bulk of the Crescents began to 
show a visible effect from the Gandys’ pollen, such 
grand berries as the Haverland, Bubach, Lovett and 
Cumberland were in market in direct competition 
with these common-sized Crescents. The later pick¬ 
ings of these Crescents were not noticeably larger in 
size of berry, than those which were picked at the 
same time in another patch fertilized w r ith varieties 
of the same seasou of blooming and ripening. 
The Jessie, upon my soil, is as fine a variety, all 
things considered, as I ever grew, and as it is an early 
and profuse bloomer, it will not allow a variety of the 
Crescent season to languish for want of pollen. Not 
that I am recommending it for fertilizing purposes 
for early varieties to the exclusion of later introduc¬ 
tions, such as Beder Wood, Lovett and others ; but 
the Jessie is truly a fine variety on my soil. The 
Gandy is all right, and grand in its place, but it is 
decidedly out of its sphere as a pollenizer for early 
varieties. 
My more recent experience has impressed me with 
the fact that abundant pollenization is just as import¬ 
ant as clean, thorough culture. To secure perfect 
fertilization even under adverse circumstances, I shall 
hereafter set one row of bisexuals to two rows of pis- 
tillates, which will make every third row a pollenizer. 
I shall also be very careful to class them as to time of 
blossoming and ripening, as I do not wish another 
“ button crop” as I had from the Gandy-Crescent 
partnership which, from a matrimonial standpoint, 
proved to be a dismal failure. f. h. b. 
Ohio. 
EXPERIENCE WITH GREEN MANURES 
FOR CORN AND STRAWBERRIES. 
The strawberry sends its roots down into the soil 
deeper, perhaps, than many are aware, where the con¬ 
ditions of the soil make it possible for it to do so, 
sometimes to the depth of 18 inches or more ; there¬ 
fore, you can see how they are restricted in their 
growth, when it is broken up to the depth of five or 
six inches only. You can readily see that, under these 
conditions, the plant may be drowned out by exces¬ 
sive rains. burned up under severe droughts, or thrown 
out by frosts ; in fact, is at the mercy of the elements 
all the time. It is a well-known fact that when deeply 
and finely pulverized, the soil will absorb and retain 
moisture longpr, and at the same time afford better 
drainage, two all-important points to be attained to 
promote the growth of plants. 
It is not a difficult matter to grow strawberries, if 
the natural conditions are favorable ; but we are con¬ 
fronted with the fact that this condition is the excep¬ 
tion, and not the rule, as a drought occurs almost 
every season at some stage of their growth. Not only 
is the strawberry 90 per cent water, but so luxuriant 
is the growth of the plant, that a very large percent¬ 
age of water is required to perfect it. This is rendered 
more necessary by the character of the food supplied 
to produce that foliage. Small plants set from 12 to 
